Southside OKC
An overview: This area of town has suffered the most regression of any of the areas of the Metro. Once a collection of smaller cities and suburbs all have become annexed into Oklahoma City. Almost all lower-class housing this area of town is mostly populated by minorities, Hispanics being the leading group, followed closely by African-Americans. This area is mostly known for its' crime: drugs, prostitution, gang violence are all prevolent here. Locations: Will Rogers World Airport The airport is named in honor of comedian and legendary cowboy Will Rogers, an Oklahoma native, and holds the distinction of being named after a person who died in an airplane crash (as does the city's other major airport, Wiley Post Airport - both men died in the same crash). Will Rogers World Airport is unusual in that it is the only airport to use the designation "World," and that its name makes no reference to its city location. Although it offers some customs and immigration services, it has no international destinations. In 2010, over 3.46 million passengers passed through Will Rogers World Airport. It is Oklahoma's busiest airport in terms of passenger traffic and its busiest cargo airport in terms of pounds of cargo carried, with over 68.5 million pounds of cargo carried in 2010. Stockyard City Many of the businesses in the area date to the 1910 area when the Oklahoma National Stockyards company began its public livestock market. At the heights of its operation during the middle of the 20th Century, the area's meat packing operations represented about 10% of the city's employment. Today, the Oklahoma National Stockyards remains the world's largest stocker and feeder cattle markets. Most of the buildings in this area still reflect the designs and construction of the early 20th century with gaslights and wooden storefronts. Many businesses in Stockyards City date back to the early 20th century when the area was home to several major meat packing companies. The district still has weekly cattle auctions and is home to a local legend, the venerable Cattleman's Steakhouse Film Row The worst of the worst when it comes to the neighborhoods of the Southside. The 1930s came to know the area as Film Row, where theater owners came to screen and lease films for their movie houses. In the 1950s, cable television first came to Oklahoma in Bartlesville, where the "Telemovies" system was started by Video Independent Theatres. Television and the advent of new technology and introduction of inexpensive air freight, hurt the film exchange business and by the 1970s and early 1980s, film row became a haven for bars, prostitution and drugs. Capitol Hill ' Capitol Hill (ironically nowhere near the actual state Capitol campus) is located south of downtown Oklahoma City and borders the Oklahoma River. It was founded as a separate city during the land run and was later annexed into Oklahoma City. Capitol Hill was a popular middle class suburb early in the century, but as the population moved into the outer suburbs and the trolley lines that had connected it to downtown stopped running, the neighborhood went into decline. The neighborhood became known for its gang violence street thugs and drug trafficing. '''Southside Bail Bonds ' Southside Bail Bonds' propriator Jeffrey Zackarian is the state's most prolific bonds man. He operates a number of branch offices in the Metro and a few in Tulsa, Stillwater, Lawton and Broken Arrow. The Southside Bail Bonds is open 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. It's famous for bonding anyone reguardless of risks, criminal charges, and previous bail history, making it very, very popular. Because of the size of his business Mr. Zackarian employs a team of bounty hunters to track down and recoup his losses on those who jump bail. This team of bounty hunters is made up exclusively of ex-police and military police officers. '''Oklahoma City Community College The third largest post-secondary school in the state, OCCC, enrolls a little over 17 thousand students each semester. Usually refered to by the locals as "Oh-triple-cee" this school offers a broad range of associate degrees and many certificate programs for things such as CLEET (Council for Law Enforcement Education and Training), Certified Nurse Aids, X-ray technicians, Auto Mechanics, and Paramedics.